Video: Sephora Haul + lots more!

I was lucky enough to spend a gloriously sunny weekend in Paris a few weeks ago to visit my French bestie/twin. It was amazing to be reunited and we packed the weekend with lots of touristy things as well as getting to visit and know all the best hidden places that only a local can show you. Of course, my first stop was Sephora when I arrived, however I feel like I was pretty self-restrained! This haul video features all the stuff I picked up there, plus a few bits from the French Pharmacie, Look Fantastic once I got back and finally a present from my sister which she picked up from a US Sephora (any guesses what brand??)

Hope you enjoy the video, I know I haven't been around these parts too much (work/summer/life has once again got in the way). If you do, I would love it if you liked and subscribed xxx

Make Up Of The Day #2

If you've seen my January favourites video, you will know that I have been absolutely loving the Urban Decay Naked 3 eye shadow palette at the moment. Such a variety of looks can be achieved from this one palette, and the look I'm talking about today is one of my favourites using all the matte shades.

Base

A mixture of Esteé Lauder Double Wear in 'Shell' mixed with a generous amount of No7 Skin Illuminator was applied all over with a Real Techniques Expert face brush, my favourite brush to use with this foundation. I used Maybelline's The Eraser concealer for under eyes and blogger favourite Collection Lasting Perfection concealer for any blemishes in the lightest shade.

The powder I used was an old favourite - Stay Matte by Rimmel. I then used the Sleek Face Form palette in Light to give some colour to my face and used the highlighter too on the high points of my face.

Eyes

I had run out of my beloved Anastasia Brow Wiz, so penciled in my brows with Rimmel's brow pencil in Hazel. I find it a bit too red toned so filled in any gaps with Revolution Focus and Fix brow quad in Medium Dark using the lightest shade.

Now to the fun part of the eyeshadows! I used Limit, a light matte and very blendable shade all over the lid, with Nooner in the outer corner and blended into the crease. Lastly, I deepened the outer V with Darkside and highlighted the inner corners and the brow bone with Strange. I chose to not use any eyeliner, instead finishing off my eyes with lashing of Collection 2000 Calorie Mascara, my favourite of all time!

Lips

The look was finished with one of my favourite lip products from the high street - Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in Keep It Classy. The formula is long lasting, smooth and highly pigmented and just such a great product all round. Read more of my review of another colour here.

Do you have a favourite eye shadow palette? xxx

Video: January Favourites | 2016

A round up of my favourite products during the first month of the year, including my birthday, make up, skin care and fashion! As always, please do subscribe to my channel and/or like the video if you enjoyed. A lot of the products I enjoyed during the video I will be popping up in depth reviews of on the blog, so keep an eye out for those!

What are your favourite products from January? xxx

Makeup of the Day #1

I tend to switch up my make up look on a day to day basis (with the exception of a few favourite products of the moment) to match my mood, outfit and generally because I like to play around with it! I thought it would be a nice idea to put up a few looks every so often to encourage me to 'shop my stash' more regularly and maybe it will give you an idea on a new way to use a palette or help you get out of your make up comfort zone.

This particular look may be too dramatic for some people in the day due to the heavy(ish) eyes but I wore it during the day no problem. I wish my camera picked up my base products a bit better but I think that's because I need to play around with the settings - if you are good with camera settings please help!

Base:

I started with the Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream by The Body Shop in 01 which gives good coverage without being heavy or clogging up the skin, buffing it in with my buffing brush from Real Techniques (best brush ever). Next I did some concealing - tackling the dark circles under my eyes by blending Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque just in the inner corners with my ring finger. I concealed any blemishes and under my eyes with Revlon's Colour Stay Concealer in 02 Light, which is a little too yellow toned for me but fine once blended out. I always set my make up with a decent oil controlling powder and at the moment that is Maybelline's Matte Maker in 20 Nude Beige. This can go a bit cakey so you need to have a light hand with it. My really old but newly re-discovered  Avon Bronzing Pearls gave me some colour applied to where the sun naturally hits and then finished off with my new favourite Benefit Havana Blush combined with the highlight from the centre of Sleek's Contour Kit on top of my cheekbones. 

Brows:

I find brows quite difficult to master due to finding the right shade and not having loads of hair to work with but since getting the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Taupe/Ash Brown it has literally changed my life in terms of eyebrow game. It's the perfect shade and easy to work with - totally a new holy grail product. To set I used Maybelinne's Browdrama in Medium which is too dark but I've never been able to find a light shade so I just have to use it sparingly.

Eyes:

For my eyes I used a variety of shadows from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette: Chopper all over lid, Tease in the crease, Snakebite in the outer corner and finished with Foxy in the inner corners and brow bone to highlight. I used a mix of Tease and Snakebite smudged under my eyes, stopping about half way and Blackout as a thin liner on top using an angled liner brush. Finally I used a few coats of the curved version of MaxFactor 2000 Calorie mascara - I still like the formula but hate the brush so will definitely be going back to the original once this runs out.

Lips:

Because the eyes were so dramatic I wanted the lips to be quite neutral. I chose MAC Creme Cup which is not only one of my favourite nudey lipsticks but one of my all time favourite MAC lipsticks. Over the top I added Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02 to keep my lips hydrated and glossy. I love this lipgloss/balm hybrid so much and its perfect for fuss free lips.

Whats your favourite make up product of the moment? xxx

The Weekend Face #1

As you may or may not know, Matt and I met at Uni but he has since graduated and got a big boy job in London, meaning our relationship has gone from seeing each other every day to every weekend. We are quite lucky its not too far to travel, however I am an appalling packer and find it virtually impossible to pack light. I've been making a conscious effort therefore to try and squeeze down my make up bag for the weekend and plan ahead (although I am still terrible at this!) Among making my case a little lighter (the amount of skincare I take is not ok) trying to condense my make up bag has lead to me using well loved things I had forgotten about again and mixing up my make up routine. So I thought it might be interesting to show you what I take as a mini series on the weekends I go down to visit, but leaving out the standard staples as that would get boring!

Lets start with the base. I chose Healthy Mix as it gives light to medium coverage, which is buildable and also helps to perk up and hydrate my skin in this horrible weather (review soon) with the usual culprits of Benefit's Erasepaste for under eyes and Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for any redness or blemishes. My new powder of choice - Rimmel's Stay Matte - was put to the test to set my foundation and keep oil at bay, but I'm not seeing much difference between this and my previous 17 Miracle Matte powder. Finally a dusting of 'London' from my Fashionista palette (amazing for travel) along my cheekbones combined a blush and highlight in one.

For my eyes, I chose to go for a natural look and began by lining the waterline with Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in 'Nude' and swept 'Naked' from my Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid. This palette is amazing for travel as it has shades for every occasion so I take it with me everywhere as you can probably see from the battered packaging! I took 'Virgin' also from this palette as my brow highlight and used Bourjois Intuitive eyeliner to deepen my lash line - still not too sure on this one but a review will be coming soon. Lastly, lashings of my two favourite mascaras completed this look. 

For lips I took two lipsticks - Kate Moss for Rimmel 107, an amazing deep red which I have been obsessed with recently and wear for both the evening or day and Barry M lip paint in '101' - a milky nude shade. As my eyes were pared down I either went for a bright pop of red or combined both of these together in the style of Lisa Eldridge to brighten up 101 which can be a bit dead by itself.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Let me know what you think of these products xxx

Wednesday Wishlist: 21st Birthday Edition #2

It's my birthday on Sunday so this will be the last birthday wishlist type post! Last weeks was quite popular, with a lot of you lusting after the same things as me. Do you like the look of any of these products too?

001. Chanel Coco Rouge Shine in 'Boy': Obviously I've got a thing for your lips but better shades at the moment and this classic lipstick fits the bill. I already have a lipstick of this type in Monte Carlo which I really love as the texture is so nourishing and moisturising.

002. Urban Decay Naked Basics/Naked 2 palette: I already own the original but I really want to complete my set of Naked palettes. I don't own either of the sequels so I would love to receive even just one as I love the original so much and get so much use out of it I think they would be a well loved addition to my make up stash.

003. Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask: Antipodes is a brand I've been wanting to delve into for a while but they are on the pricey side for me so I've never been able to justify buying anything from them just yet. This mask in particular sounds amazing and would be perfect for my skin type - a perfect first product to try from the brand.

004. Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch: Another raved about product that seems like it would suit my skin type perfectly. Either the original or the self-tanning one are high up on my wishlist!

005. Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm: I'm not going to bother typing out the whole name as I'm sure everyone has heard of this cleansing balm! I'm more of a cream cleanser girl who is obsessed with Liz Earle's C+P but after reading/hearing so many rave reviews I'm starting to think I need this in my life.

006. Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro in '405': I'm a firm believer of 'a girl can never have too many lip products' and they are the main thing I go crazy over. After seeing these on Anna's blog it was love at first sight!

Here's to hoping! xxx

OOTD: Autumn Leaves When The Grass Is Jewelled...

Does anyone else remember that hymn from primary school? It was one of my favourites that we had to sing in assembly :) Anyway, I thought I would do a simple outfit of the day which is perfect for Autumn/Winter as it is comfy and warm. It is a mixture of more expensive investment pieces such as my Urban Outfitters Parka which I bought in first year and has lasted me so well and goes with everything with cheaper bargain bits such as the jumper from Primark. The jumper is one of my favourite purchases recently as I love thick knitted jumpers, the colour and the detail of the elbow patches - plus it was a bargain for £14! As it is quite a simple outfit I paid attention to detail: the gold stripe down my leggings and the matching pearl headband and earrings which incorporated the gold too. I opted for Uggs on my feet as they are so warm and snuggly but I know people either love or hate them. I thought this look could also be paired with chelsea boots or my aviator style boots that I got from Missguided around 2 years ago. I'm not claiming to be ultra-stylish so I normally shy away from OOTDs but I liked this as a casual outfit and thought it would be a nice idea for other not so fashion concious people to relate to!

What I wore:

* Tan Ugg Boots

* Gold strip leggings from Topsohp

* Jumper with suede elbow patches from Primark

* Green Parka from Urban Outfitters

* Pearl headband from Forever 21

* Pearl stud earrings from Topshop

I went for a simple fresh face with a pop of colour on my lips. Recently I've been testing out the highly raved about Healthy Mix foundation by Bourjois and mixed it with some Hocus Focus (mentioned in my September favourites here) to add even more luminosity to my face. I also used 'rose shine' blush by Fashionista from a 4 quad palette which I recently purchased and will be sure to review soon. It is a lovely light pink that gives a wind bitten flush to the cheeks which is great for autumn/winter.I chose 'Brighton Rock' by Topshop for my lips - a colour and formulation I just can't get enough of and with toned down eyes it makes a lovely daytime look. I didn't do anything to my hair as I've successfully stopped using unecessary heat on my hair, so it was natural waves for me!

Whats on my face:

* Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in '52 Vanille'

* Soap and Glory Hocus Focus

* Benefit Erase Paste in '1 Fair'

* Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in '1 Fair'

* 17 Miracle Matte Pressed Powder

* Fashionista blush in 'Rose Shine'

* Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige (for highlight)

* Bobbi Brown eyeshadow (for brows) in 'Mahogany'

* UD eyeshadow in 'Maui Wowie' all over the lid and a light application of 'Smog' from the Naked Palette in the crease

* Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara in Black

* L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara in Extra Black

* Topshop Lipstick in 'Brighton Rock' (swatches here)

Swatched L-R: 'Smog' and 'Maui Wowie'

Thanks to Matt for being a fab photographer ;) What do you think of my outfit? xxx

July Favourites

This is my first ever favourites post! I love reading other people's posts and watching YT videos like this as it makes me confident at trying products I've been thinking about sampling and also gives me some new suggestions to have a look at. This post features a mixture of skin care and make up :)

Skincare

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: Ever since purchasing this last month I have loved it! From the packaging to the product it hasn't let me down and I understand now why there were so many rave reviews. I may be late on the bandwagon, but now I've got this brand on my radar I'm looking forward to trying some of their other products and will be keeping this as a staple in my skincare routine. I'm not going to go into too much detail as I have an upcoming post dedicated to this lovely product. (Edit: see review here!)

Neutrogena Grapefruit Facial Wash: Again, there is an upcoming review of this on my blog and is a new item in my facial skincare regime. I'm really enjoying using it in the mornings as the scent and formula wakes me up and refreshes my face nicely. 

Make Up

Revlon Lip Butters: I've just done a post on these so you can see how much I love them and why here! An update since then though is that I have recently purchased my third in the shade 'Creme Brulee' and I love it just as much as the others! I've been getting into my nude lips recently and this is a wonderful addition - it is a lovely soft nude, which is sheer enough to let some of my natural lip show through while still giving shine and a wash of colour with lots of nourishment. If you aren't that big into lipsticks and colour but want to dabble in lip products this is an excellent way to introduce yourself to both.

Urban Decay Naked Palette: This has been such a good investment purchase. Since buying it I've used it nearly every day and love the selection of matte and glittery shades, the quality of the eyeshadows and their colour payoff. You can create so many looks for day and evening by combining the different shades and I suggest it is a good palette to buy if you are into the natural look or are wanting to experiment. You can see my full review here. 

17 BB Cream: This has been a key staple in my every day make up routine this summer. I've been shunning foundation for the summer and this has to be my favourite BB cream that I have tried so far as it has good oil control, added SPF and good coverage. Every time I use it I like it even more :) If you want to read my full review for this you can read it here. I am looking forward to trying some other BB creams and am going to do a post soon on all the ones I have tried and what I think of them.

Hope you enjoyed reading my favourites :) Are any of these featured in your favourites post? xxx

OOTD: Little Black Dinner Dress

A couple of nights ago my boyfriend and I went out for dinner and drinks to celebrate some good news on our last night in Birmingham before heading down to Exeter. This is quite a simple outfit as it wasn't ultra dressy, but still was girly and suitable for the occasion. I love LBDs just because they are so easy to accessorize and you can wear them in so many different ways, especially this skater dress as it would be great for the day time too. I've also been waiting for an excuse to wear my new gold cuff  necklace which I have been wearing soo much ever since I purchased it. It's been such a great buy as it goes with smart or casual outfits. 

* Black Skater Dress from Topshop

* Shoes from Carvela 

* Tights from M&S

* Clutch bag from a friend

* Bracelet and Earrings from Forever 21

* Gold Cuff Necklace from H&M

*Friendship Bracelet from Turkey

I love wearing black as it means I can really diversify how I do my make up each time I wear the outfit as you can wear literally any colour. I chose to go with purple eyes and my nude Rimmel lipstick. I left my hair naturally wavy/curly underneath and added some curls on top.

L-R: 'Grifter' by UD, True Colour Eyeshadow in 'Midnight Plum' by Avon, Mac Pigment in 'Violet'

More true colour of Avon eyeshadow than first picture.

L-R: Collection Glam Crystals in 'Shake it Up' and Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in 03

What do you think of this outfit and make up? xxx

Time to get Naked...

Hey guys,

I arrived home today and found a lovely package awaiting me...my eagerly anticipated Naked Palette from Urban Decay! Considering I only bought this 2 days ago, I was impressed with how quick the shipping was. Because there has been so much hype to this product and it is quite expensive (at least on a student budget - although you do get a lot of shadows) I was worried I would be dissapointed. However, I wasn't in the slightest!! I was happy with everything from the lovely velvet casing and gilt lettering to the gorgeous shades of eyeshadow and the mini eyeshadow primer I recieved. I love that urban decay shadows have really good pigmentation and variety of colour, so will love having a play around with these, as everyone who knows me knows that I like to switch up my eye make up frequently and try out different colours and styles. This palette will be perfect for the day and evenings and therefore I  think it is well worth the money. I just have to make sure I keep it in good condition!

Opening the package!

Eyeshadow primer

The colours in the palette

Has anyone else tried this palette, and what are your thoughts on it? What other Urban Decay eyeshadows/products should I try? xxx

OOTD: Rosy's Leaving Do

Hey guys,

As you know, it was my friend's leaving party over the weekend and so thought the outfit I wore for that would be a perfect first outfit post. I wanted to be dressed up for the occasion but also have a summery feel to my outfit (and I wanted to wear the new dress I bought for holiday!) Unfortunately, I couldn't wear heels in the end as planned because I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago and it hasn't fully recovered yet! And I didn't have time to paint my nails to match either :( But will be doing a post on NOTD soon!

Ring and Charm bracelet both Tiffany

Forever 21 earrings

What I wore

* Dress by Missguided

* Nude Heels by New Look

* Blueberry nail varnish by Barry M

* Bag from a friend

* Earrings by Forever 21

* Ring and charm bracelet by Tiffany

I would really recommend Forever 21 for affordable jewelry - they have an amazing selection at good prices.

What the outfit looked like on:

Cardigan from Primark

How I did my hair:

Messy dressing table from getting ready!

    The makeup I wore:

L-R: Maybelline Roller Colour in Twiring Taupe, Urban Decay in Midnight Cowboy and Mac in Deep Truth

                                     

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Blush

On crutches after spraining my ankle!

       xxx